Games

Chess is one of the world’s most popular games and dates back to chaturanga, a sixth-century Indian battle game involving four armies. Chess spread from India into neighbouring Persia, from where it ...

Dominoes trace their origins back to China, where most games of chance known to man originated. They were among the many treasures brought back to Europe by Marco Polo in 1295. The name of the game i...

Like chess, draughts belongs to the category of “military” games. Games similar to draughts were reputedly played in the days of the early Egyptian pharaohs and are mentioned in the works of the Gree...

Skittles ( gorodki ) is a traditional Russian folk game. The players take turns to throw bats or sticks with the aim of knocking down five skittles (cylindrical wooden stumps) arranged in various con...

Knucklebones ( babki ) was a traditional game in Russia. The babki were made out of the lower joints of the leg bones of cattle, as was the bat used to knock them down, which was often cast inside fr...

Quoits ( svaika ) is one of the most popular folk games in Russia. The purpose of the game is to throw the svaika (an iron peg with a large head and a pointed end) into the ground inside an iron ring...

Spillikins ( biryulki ) was a set of toy objects, such as furniture, crockery, ladders, hats, sticks and agricultural implements. Several people played the game. The players were supposed to take it ...

Unlike the majority of games of chance, which entered Russia from the east, such as billiards, dominoes and throwing dice, roulette came from Western Europe and appeared much later. It arose at the s...